The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-02-13

OF INTEREST TO WOMEN.
What New York Girls Are Doing-Homes for
Working Women-Bits Of Feminine Gossip.

Written for the Journal by Eliza 2. Heatom.
New York runs over with girls in winter. Not
that it lacks a feminine population at any sea-
son, but from October to May the mutitudes
are multiplied. The American girl is famous for
spending her winters somewhere, studying
something Boston used to be trimming with
her. The Conservatory of Music drew her from
afar, and she was attracted by the opportunities
for classes in this. tina. and everything else that
the omnscient Hub teaches. Boston sees good
deal of her still, but New York is growing to
be more and more the Mecca toward which
her eyes turn every year with the falling Of the
leaves.
She comes from everywhere and she is doing
everything. You meet her at every lecture and
every concert You can't see a play without
seeing her too. She sits in the balcony because
she can't afford an orchestra chair, and she
wishes again and again chat the prophecies al
lowed her to spare her purse by cheaper seat
yet, on high with the gods of the gallery. She
is fushed with the daring of an evening excursion
without other escort than girl friend. She
looks at the stage, and it Is Otter by the whole
some freshness of her interest that you know
her. She visits the art galleries, catalogue in
hand. and you run across her at the libraries.
She has taken the city by storm, and she looks
as if she enjoyed it.
To see her in her glory you must look her up
at Cooper Union. Nearly five hundred young
women pupils are under instruction in the free
art classes alone, this winter, and some
thing like one thousand have been turned
away for lack of room Often enough it
happens that this omnipresent Ameri-
can girl comes to the city without money in her
purse, but with plenty of faith in her heart.
Then it is that she displays herself as being of
infinite resource She teaches, she turns stem
ographer. she runs typewriter, she colors
photo-negatives by day and studies at night
Sometimes, even, she graduates into book
agent-of the comparatively harmless. inof-
fensve variety, these amateurs are for the most
part-visiting women, clergymen and doctors"
only In one one way and another she pays her
way, she has her winter in the city
So much of an institution has she become that
the city is beginning to feel some responsibility
for her. She is home-ioving creature in spite
of her nomadic habits. and used to home COM
forts She doesn't like We modern boarding
house, and for the most part she cannot pay its
prices. The boarding house mistress doesn't like
the winter girl. In Difference to her slim purse,
and the amount she wishes to and to do for
small money, she inquiries for hall bedroom
we'll up, and she is apt to burn the gas to heat
tin pail of tea. to present herself in the kitch-
en- to borrow hot iron to attend to part of her
own laundry work. The landlady accordingly
institutes q lockout. She won't take the Amer
lean girl. aud the GIRL considering the seven or
eight dollars per week which is her lowest
charge, does not SO greatly mourn over the ex-
clusion.
What becomes. them of the would be indie
pendent girl in the cty2 She is Especial product
of civilization, and have been interesting my
self for tho past week to learn what special
means civilization is adopting to provide for
her. The metropolis hasn't quite solved the
problem she presents, think; and the girl stu
dent, like the teacher and the underpaid woman
worker generally is not in all cases so comforta-
L. H. ;lyn % hA thA Mt 10
making beginning There are establishments
that have sprung up expressly for the self
relying girl in the city, though they are as yet
very few, few enough for me to count on my
fingers, for the benefit of the next corners, and
there special difficulties that they contend
with One two have split the rock of
superfuous rules and regulations, the identical
reef that wrecked Stewards unlucky failure of
a workingwomen's hotel and one or two have
| found to their sorrow that no matter how low
| they put the rates-below cost even-they must
not hint at charity, for the American girl would
| bankrupt herself twice over sooner than enter
| into other than seemed to her a business ike
| agreement
| The oldest of the special women's boarding
houses that have visited in New York is the
| Young Women's Home" q Washington square
| north, which has record of almost quarter Of
| a century behind it. It is, l think, the largest
az well as the first of the girls boardng-hous
and finds room for nearly one hundred young
| women, with, perhaps, half that number in a
house is to be established in course of few
months wherever a suitable locality in the city
| is found. Board at the Young Women's Home
ranges from So to S. per week. and for this sum
| a young girl--no ono who is married or above a
fixed age is admitted inmate-can get a
| cheerful room overlooking the still quiet of
| Washington square, one of the few localities in
! the city on whose old time state and dignity the
| modern march of trade has hardly begun to en-
croach.
Next this in size. and think, perhaps in age
is the Business Women's Union in Brooklyn
for the two cities in such respects practically
one-which has been some fifteen years in oper
alton and accommodates about eighty self. sup
porting women at rates varying from So Is te
S. % per week. This Brooklyn Union. which
was established by the Brooklyn Woman's Club
may challenge any of its neighbor for inteli
gence OF management, having q wellselecteG
library for the use of it's guests and having es
tabllshed an educated women's employment bu
reau, which is one of the very few Of its sort il
the country.
OF the newer institutions which the GROWING
demand of the last half dozen years has called
into existence one of the pleasantest least ham
pered by traditions least numbered by rules i
the Laura Home, 120 Second avenue, New
York. The Rev. D. c. Potter founded it t
serve AS home-like shelter for young girl
} while fitting themselves for self-support, an,
here at a cost of from So to Sc a week, the Iii
houseful of girls feel themselves really member
of family, at home and at rest.
No. 479 West Twenty-second street is the loca
ton of another small boarding house for the ON
npresent girl, and yet another establishment
) the Girls Endeavor Club. at 2S6 West Fourt
street This last institution is not boarding
house proper, but assists the young woma
whose dollars are precious to indulge in the con
venient feminine resource of Eight housekeeE
ing" at small cost of time or health. Two do
lars will pay for single room, 81 for doubl
room. with fire. gas and tho entree of tn
kitchen. Twenty cents a week insures he
chocolate, tea or coffee. good foundation for
unoSp md for no fho ry;rlc h,,x,
cook their own food, suiting their own taste.
| conxeniauces and means. and living at laas a,